Canadian Laws

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GerberTrench

Joined
Aug 27, 2008
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Im fifteen i carry knives as tools but i wanted to know how much trouble i would get it if the police stopped me and found a knife in my pocket.I heard that if you can flip it open easily then its illegal.So if i could read some other laws so that i wouldn't get into too much trouble when i carry my knives.If this matters i carry a Gerber Evo.
 
I'm an American, although I'll try to help. I did some research, and I couldn't find any knife-carry laws in Alberta that are related to age. If the knife you're carrying is legal to carry and you're carrying it in a legal manner, I don't see how age would factor into it.

Edit: Here you go. I just searched up this thread from a while back. There's a lot of good information in it. The thread IS from 2000, so some of the laws might have changed, so it would be a good idea to check.:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153089&highlight=alberta
 
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Canadian Knife Laws

Canadian Connection Sub-Forum

Welcome to Bladeforums, GerberTrench. The Gerber Evo, as an object, is not prohibited by Federal law. However, it could still be illegal based on intent. If an officer/judge determines that you're carrying it for the wrong reasons (eg. self-defense), then it's automatically considered a weapon, and all weapons are illegal. If you're carrying it as a tool, then that's legal. Look at the first link for details.

IIRC, a few places in Alberta have additional local regulations. You'll need to keep digging around the Knife Laws & Canadian Connection sub-forums to find those.


Edited to add: "Flick knives" & "Centrifugal knives" ARE prohibited by the Criminal Code. If the officer can open the knife with a just a strong flick of the wrist, then you're in trouble. So tighten the pivot to make it unflickable.

Also, most schools, public libraries, etc ban weapons. In the times we live in, many schools have zero-tolerance policies on all knives, regardless of whether they're being carried as tools or weapons, so keep that in mind.
 
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I was just in Kelowna Canada last week. When I crossed over the border the Canadian border guards asked me to empty my pockets and gasped out loud when I pulled out my Spyderco Native knife. This is my EDC and work knife. They asked me if I had a automatic knife, I said no. Next time I will leave it in the truck in plain sight to make them more comfortable.
 
Pretty sad when freaking border guards gasp when you pull out a knife as small as the Spyderco Native.
 
well i know that in manitoba some cops shoot 2 kids for not dropping their knives but that because they were carry fixed blades around
 
Canada's knife laws in a nutshell:

PROHIBITED ITEMS:

Balisongs, Push daggers, automatic knives/switchblades (there are more but they are NOT knives)

You are allowed to OWN, POSSESS, and CARRY fixed blades knives of any length....

HOWEVER..........

WHERE and WHEN and HOW you carry, and HOW you act, is what will determine a Police response or seizure.

EG: carry your big ass chopper blade on your belt in the city, EXPECT a tap on the shoulder by a uniformed Officer.

If you carry your big bad ass chopper in the woods, thats ok.

Discretion is the key here. A small fixed blade in a sheath on your belt worn in the city, will not result in a visit form police, unless your being an idiot. Carry yourself well, dress well, act normal, use proper English etc etc and you will never be stopped.

INTENT...

what are oyu using yur knife for? if you say self defence, your gonna have problems. If you say its a cutting tool that i use often , you will have no problems.

I have carried OPENLY for years both in the city and in the woods. I have had coffee with Police and they never blinked an eye. TODAY, one of our truckers assaulted another trucker (dont ask). I just happened to be in the smae area and guess who got pulle dover. The officer asked me to step down form the trruck, and walk to the rear of the truck, with my hands out. I did so. During the questioning he checked me out, determined i was NOT the trucker they were after and sent me on my way. The entire time he did'nt say boo about the fixed blade i had on my belt, nor the Emerson Super Commander i had VISIBLY clipped to my pocket. The reason for this was that i was polite, obeyed direction, kept my hands and body ina neutral relaxed stance. In other words i gave NO reason for him to give me grief.

you get the idea.
 
Unless you are legally an adult I wouldnt carry a knife. There are a LOT of reasons for this, but for me the top 3 are the big ones:

1. You simply DO NOT have the rights of an adult, its unfortunate, but its the truth and there is NOTHING you can do about it.
2. The cops are out there looking for YOU, I wont say all cops do because they dont but there are many police officers who seem to just hate "kids" and will make your life miserable because they dont understand you, they dont care, and they just want to make your "punk ass" have a hard time.
3. Knowing how to defend yourself against Police interogation is hard for an adult, now imagine that you have 2 30+ year old cops pulling out every trick in the book to get you, because they will, without exception, and you are 15. I dont care how mature you think you are, you are going to have a hard time handling that. And as nervous as you will be, are you going to remember your rights, or are you going to be scared and line yourself up for trial.

The laws are there but they really only help adults, and thats true in any country. I dont want to badmouth cops or imply they dont do our community a great service at the risk of their health and safety, but my experience has been that if you are young they arent going to treat you with respect and you just have to accept that fact.

I got pulled over for speeding and the police officer over reported my speed by 10mph on the ticket and obviously I fought the ticket (by myself I might add) and I tried my best to be nice to the officer and merely pointed out to the judge that it would be impossible for me to travel that fast without weaving through traffic since traffic was so heavy due to it being a holiday and I was supposedly going 18mph over the limit in a school zone.

I tried my hardest to avoid saying that the cop misremembered or had any bad intent but just that he had made a small mistake and I wasnt going to pay a 215 dollar speeding ticket unless I deserved to pay a 215 dollar speeding ticket. And the judge saw it my way and dismissed it quickly.

After it was done I talked to the police officer and I told him I was sorry for taking his time up and that everyone made mistakes and I understood if he was angry at me but that I wanted him to understand it wasnt personal at all.

And he told me I was a "brat" and I deserved to have to "pay my debt to society for being a criminal" and that he was glad "more kids dont get out of their responsibility by abusing loop holes and soft judges".

I realize that its a cultural taboo, but we form our perceptions based on our experiences. and mine tell me that I need to carry around the business card of my family's lawyer, and that when I go to the sort of hyper centralized country like canada I need to be careful since the cops where I go (winnipeg or ontario) dont care if you are american, they wont give you any sort of break.
 
Gunfucius said:
Pretty sad when freaking border guards gasp when you pull out a knife as small as the Spyderco Native.
Click to expand...

They flipped about my dad's Delica.
And he crosses the border 5 times a week for work, and is 61.
 
I think that a lot of what is mentioned here in terms of manners and attitude is important, but is almost a given to people like us. Guys like us who collect knives are passionate about them and aren't the same as the lowlifes who use knives to hurt people. Collectors tend to be mannerly, polite and respectful to the people around them already. At least, the ones I talk to anyway.
But ya, never say self defense, they'll just take it.
 
WongKonPow said:
I think that a lot of what is mentioned here in terms of manners and attitude is important, but is almost a given to people like us. Guys like us who collect knives are passionate about them and aren't the same as the lowlifes who use knives to hurt people. Collectors tend to be mannerly, polite and respectful to the people around them already. At least, the ones I talk to anyway.
But ya, never say self defense, they'll just take it.
Click to expand...

and one thing i have noticed, is that ANY knife collector will wax enthusiastic about the blades, the makers, the steel etc, to the point where the Officer will laugh and say "have a good night sir/madam"

:D
 
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